The present invention relates to a microform-reader for projecting images of information, such as alpha-numeric characters and/or graphs, recorded on a microfilm, onto a self-contained viewing screen.
It is largely recognized that the space for the storage of a huge number of documents can advantageously be minimized if the documents are microfilmed. Therefore, in most offices or any other establishments where a large number of documents are handled, a microfilming system is employed. Because the microfilming system is effective to speed up the office documentation and also effective to provide the reproduction of clear images, the microfilming system has gained the lead far ahead of the other recording media.
In such a microfilming system, a device generally called a microform-reader has to be used for reproducing and viewing an image recorded on a microfilm. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the microform-reader requires the provision of an optical system for enlarging each frame of the microfilm to a size corresponding usually to a A-4 sized paper. The provision of such an optical system has long made the microform-reader considerably bulky and large in size and, therefore, the place of installation of the microform-reader has been fixed or limited thereby posing such a problem that it could not have been readily available for use.
In view of the foregoing, the inventors of the present invention have successfully devised a compact, foldable microform-reader which is disclosed in their U.S. patent application Ser. No. 700,157, filed Feb. 11, 1985, and assigned to the same assignee of the instant application. The microform-reader disclosed therein comprises a generally rectangular box-like, flattened casing; a movable member supported by the casing for movement between retracted and extended positions in a direction parallel to any one of the opposite side walls of the casing; a viewing screen mounted on and supported by the casing for movement between folded and uprisen positions; an optical system for projecting the image onto the screen; a lamp for illuminating the image on the screen; a reflecting mirror member supported for movement between laid-down and upright positions; and a foldable light shield provided for enclosing a space defined between the screen and the mirror member when said screen and said mirror member are held in the uprisen position and the upright positions, respectively. The light shield comprises a top panel hingedly connected to the top of the screen and has its opposite sides hingedly connected with respective side panels, said top and side panels capable of being folded together about the respective hinges.
This microform-reader is satisfactory in many respects, but it has been found that the foldable light shield used therein is somewhat awkward and inconvenient to handle particularly where it is desired to be folded down.